本色

Bense (Original Character)

原义指本来的颜色，引申指本来的样子、面貌。作为文学批评术语，主要有三种含义：其一，指符合文体规定的艺术特色和风貌；其二，指符合作家艺术个性的特色和风貌；其三，指作品中真率自然地贴近生活原貌、表达自己真实思想或感情的风格。

The term originally referred to true colors and has been extended to mean true appearance. As a term of literary critique,bense (本色) has three meanings: 1) the artistic style and literary features that are compatible with a given genre; 2) the style and literary features that remain true to the writer's individual character; and 3) the style that makes it possible for the writing to remain true to the author's own experience and that gives truthful expression to his thoughts and feelings. 

本色不仅是对作者的要求，也是对作品的要求。宋代文论中，本色多用于评述文体的特性；明清文论中，本色多指诗人作家的个性风格，也用来倡导不加雕饰地贴近生活原貌的创作风格。“本色”常与“当行”连用，相当于“本真"，往往与道家自然之道的思想相联系，用来反对过分雕琢的创作态度与作品风格。

Bense is not only a requirement for the writer but also for his works. In the literary criticism of the Song Dynasty, bense was often used to describe and evaluate the special qualities of different genres. In the literary criticism of the Ming and Qing dynasties, bense usually referred to the individual style of poets and writers and also those styles of writing that remained true to life experience and eschewed literary embellishment. Bense is often used together with danghang （当行）to mean "original and genuine"; it is often associated with the Dao of nature in classical Daoist philosophy, in opposition to the attitude and styles that stress literary embellishment.

来源：翻译大王